The 'trophy wife' might be a myth, study finds

Sorry, boys. Research has found that the "trophy wife" may be an urban legend.

Sociologist Elizabeth McClintock from Indiana's University of Notre Dame tested the familiar stereotypes that beautiful women marry wealthy men for their money and, conversely, that men look for under-educated, low-earning wives.

She found that the stereotypes are fuelled by selective observation of the phenomenon reinforced by sexist attitudes.

Using a nationally representative sample of young couples, McClintock interviewed and rated individuals for physical attractiveness, and also found evidence that couples match both on socioeconomic status and physical attractiveness.

"I find that handsome men partner with pretty women and successful men partner with successful women," says McClintock, who specializes in inequality within romantic partnerships.

"So, on average, high-status men do have better-looking wives, but this is because they themselves are considered better looking — perhaps because they are less likely to be overweight and more likely to afford braces, nice clothes and trips to the dermatologist."

"Secondly, the strongest force by far in partner selection is similarity — in education, race, religion and physical attractiveness," she said.

McClintock also found that social class barriers played a considerable role in partner-matching, meaning that beautiful women were unlikely to leverage their appearance in order to move up the social ladder.

She was quick to point out that her findings do not mean that "trophy marriages" don't happen at all, but rather found that the incidence of the phenomenon is much lower than is generally accepted, especially among the general population (that is, couples without celebrity status).

"Donald Trump and his third wife Melania Knauss-Trump may very well exemplify the trophy wife stereotype," she said.

"But, there are many examples of rich men who partner with successful women rather than 'buying' a supermodel wife."

She cited the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as having married a PhD candidate and a wealthy entrepreneur respectively.

Clinical psychologist Dr Melissa Keogh agreed that this kind of "trophy marriage" is generally the exception, not the rule, when it comes to relationships."It's a great story, but typically it's a myth," she told ninemsn.

"By and large, people will be attracted to those of similar appearance and economic status, so it adds to what we know in psychology about partner selection," she said.

The study, "Beauty and Status: The Illusion of Exchange in Partner Selection?" will be published in a forthcoming edition of the American Sociological Review.